The volume provides an overview of the current status of exocytosis and to define future goals. Exocytosis, a universal process of eukaryotic cells, consisting of the fusion between the vesicle and the plasma membrane is an important topic in cell biology, physiology, biophysics, biochemistry and many other disciplines. The understanding of this rather complex process is essential for the understanding of normal function of unicellular and multicellular organisms from animal to plant kingdoms and in pathological conditions as well. During the last three decades a rapid increase in the number of research papers addressing this topic have been published. The development of our understanding of exocytosis spans the initial evidences that "something is being released" from cells to the description of extensive physiological, biophysical, molecular and genetic properties of the process. A list of key proteins involved in exocytosis in a number of cell types has been identified, but work is still being done to come to a consensus about a mechanism or mechanisms that describe the interplay of key players in functional terms. NOTE: Annals volumes are available for sale as individual books or as a journal. For information on institutional journal subscriptions, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com/nyas. ACADEMY MEMBERS: Please contact the New York Academy of Sciences directly to place your order (www.nyas.org). Members of the New York Academy of Science receive full-text access to the Annals online and discounts on print volumes. Please visit http://www.nyas.org/MemberCenter/Join.aspx for more information about becoming a member.

Table of Contents:
Overview: Exocytosis Continues to Amaze Us (Ninavardjan and Robert Zorec). Part I: Vesicle Dynamics and Cell Types. 1. Rhythmic kinetics of single fusion and fission in a plant cell protoplast (Gerhard Thiel, Marko Kreft, and Robert Zorec)). 2. Fluorescent Cargo Proteins in Peptidergic Endocrine Cells: Cell Type Determines Secretion Kinetics at Exocytosis (Darren J. Michael, Sompol Tapechum, Joyce G. Rohan, Joseph M. Johnson, and Robert H. Chow). 3. Apical plasma membrane traffic in superficial cells of bladder urothelium (Mateja Erdani Kreft, Kristijan Jezernik, Marko Kreft, and Rok Romih). 4. Regulated Exocytosis and Vesicle Trafficking in Astrocytes (Marko Kreft, Maja Potokar, Matjaž Stenovec, Tina Pangršic, and Robert Zorec). 5. Actin coating of lamellar bodies after fusion with the plasma membrane is Ca2+-dependent and required for exocytotic content release or kiss-and-run (Pika Miklavc, Oliver Heiner Wittekindt, Edward Felder, and Paul Dietl). 6. Exocytosis of insulin: In Vivo maturation of mouse endocrine pancreas (Aldo Rozzo, Tiziana Meneghel-Rozzo, Saša Lipovšek-Delakorda, Shi-Bing Yang, and Marjan Rupnik). 7. Compound Exocytosis in Pituitary Cells (Nina Vardjan, Jernej Jorgacevski, Matjaž Stenovec, Marko Kreft, and Robert Zorec). Part II: Molecular Mechanisms of Exocytosis. 8. The functions of Munc18-1 in regulated exocytosis (Robert D. Burgoyne, Jeff W. Barclay, Leo F. Ciufo, Margaret E. Graham, Mark T. W. Handley, and Alan Morgan). 9. Voltage-gated potassium channel as a facilitator of exocytosis (Lori Feinshreiber, Dafna Singer-Lahat, Uri Ashery, and Ilana Lotan). 10. SNAP-25 in neuropsychiatric disorders (Irene Corradini, Claudia Verderio, Mariaelvina Sala, Michael C. Wilson, and Michela Matteoli). Exocytosis, mediatophore and vesicular Ca2+/H+ antiport in rapid neurotransmission (Yves Dunant, J. Miguel Cordeiro, and Paula P. Gonçalves). 11. Single molecule probing of SNARE proteins by Atomic Force Microscopy (Wei Liu and Vladimir Parpura). 12. Identifying critical components of native Ca2+-triggered membrane fusion: integrating studies of proteins and lipids (Kendra L. Furber, Matthew A. Churchward, Tatiana P. Rogasevskaia, and Jens R. Coorssen). 13. The Fusion Pore and Vesicle Cargo Discharge Modulation (Nina Vardjan, Matjaž Stenovec, Jernej Jorgacevski, Marko Kreft, Sonja Grilc, and Robert Zorec). 14. SNAP-25 and Gene Targeted Mouse Mutants (Christina Bark). 15. Rescuing the 'subprime meltdown' in insulin exocytosis in diabetes (Edwin P. Kwan and Herbert Y. Gaisano). Part III: Intracellular Messengers and Exocytosis. 16. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate-dependent facilitation of the ATP-dependent secretory activity in mouse pituitary cells (Simon Sedej, Iman Singh Gurung, Thomas Binz, and Marjan Rupnik). 17. Multiple Roles of Gi/o Protein-Coupled Receptors in Control of Action Potential Secretion Coupling in Pituitary Lactotrophs (Stanko S. Stojilkovic, Takayo Murano, Arturo E. Gonzalez-Iglesias, Silvana A. Andric, Marko A. Popovic, Fredrick Van Goor, and Melanija Tomic). 18. Exocytotic properties of human pancreatic ß –cells (Matthias Braun, Reshma Ramracheya, Paul R. Johnson, and Patrik Rorsman). 19. Expression of Dense-Core Vesicles and of Their Exocytosis is Governed by the Repressive Transcription Factor, NRSF/REST (Rosalba D'Alessandro, Andrijana Klajn, and Jacopo Meldolesi). 20. The Coffin-Lowry syndrome-associated protein RSK2 controls neuroendocrine secretion through a pathway implicating phospholipase D1 and phosphatidic acid production at the exocytotic sites (Maria Zeniou-Meyer, Aurélie Béglé, Marie-France Bader, and Nicolas Vitale). 21. Calcium-regulated exocytosis in neuroendocrine cells: Intersectin-1L stimulates actin polymerization and exocytosis by activating Cdc42 (Fanny Momboisse, Stéphane Ory, Valerie Calco, Magali Malacombe, Marie-France Bader, and Stéphane Gasman). 22. A Neurotoxic Secretory Phospholipase A2 Induces Apoptosis in Motoneuron-Like Cells (Zala Jenko Pražnikar, Toni Petan, and Jože Pungercar).